Sipadan in August - Spaces still available!
Sipadan is more popular than ever this year and August is basically fully booked. But for those of you looking for a last minute escape, Seaventures Dive Resort still has places available for the first week of August.  It's a unique resort and great value. And you get all the best Sipadan dives. An example package: 5D/4N with 11 dives is US$ 600 per personResort diving includes: Dives, boat rides, unlimited but unguided platform diving, experienced English-speaking divemaster, mineral water, tanks, weights and weightbelts. Diving excludes: Marine park fees are approx. US$ 11 per person per day, are payable on arrival. Dive equipment can be rented on arrival too. Resort accommodation (based on two share) includes: Bed, breakfast, lunch and dinner, Tawau Airport - resort return transfers. If you are a single diver you can share with another diver or pay single supplement to get your own room. More information: Seaventures Dive ResortFor bookings, please contact Blog@Dive-The-World.com, call our PADI 5 Star Dive Centre in Phuket - 083 505 7794, or chat with us on Skype.
Last Minute Raja Ampat Liveaboard
We've got some last minute availability on the Shakti Liveaboard to Raja Ampat on the 09-20 June trip! Act now! The only liveaboard permanently based in the Irian Jaya region, the Shakti operates out of Sorong and runs dive trips throughout the year. The trouble is that it's so popular that it's usually fully booked. But places have opened up for the 09th June trip so grap your spot while you can!   Explore the incredible marine diversity and breathtaking topside scenery of Raja Ampat at the lowest price available. To dive onboard Shakti is to experience authentic frontier diving in small groups from a traditional Pinisi sailing motor yacht, yet not compromise on comfort or efficiency. Trip details: 12 days / 11 nights Dives: 35 dives Destination: Irian Jaya – Raja Ampat Islands (western Papua New Guinea) – Cape Kri and Dampier Strait, plus Waigeo and Batanta Islands – WWII Japanese and American ship and fighter plane wrecks, or Misool Island – pristine and unexplored reefs and wrecks with enormous schools of fish – the highest marine bio-diversity in the world! Stunning islands scenery. Departs: Sorong, 09 June 2008 Returns: Sorong, 20 June 2008 Max. 12 guests Total Price: US$ 3,098 per personMore information on the boat here: The Shakti LiveaboardCheck out the sites you would be diving on here: Raja Ampat dive sitesFor Bookings please email us: Blog@Dive-The-World.com
New Website launched – Dive The World Liveaboards
We realise that there are a lot of you out there who feel that liveaboards are the only way to go when it comes to diving holidays. However it can be difficult to find the right boat to meet all your expectations. So here at Dive The World we are beginning a new project to bring you all the liveaboard information you need in our helpful and easy-to-follow format - www.DiveTheWorldLiveaboards.com We have begun with only a few destinations but will be adding to this list all the time until we have a comprehensive range of boats to suit all budgets diving in the best liveaboard diving destinations in the world. As usual we try to give you more than you will find anywhere else to help you get exactly what you are looking for. We aim to cover the best diving spots in the world, recommending reliable operators to ensure you get the best service and facilities for your money. We aim to cover South-East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific as well as Mexico, The Caribbean and more… Check out our destinations here: Liveaboard Destinations If you know when you want to go and are looking for a trip that suits your dates then we have thought of that too! One great feature of the site will be our Dive Liveaboards Calendar which allows you to find out what recommended cruises are departing on dates that fit with your plans. Browse our calendar here: Liveaboard Departures CalendarWe will feature Trip Reports to give you a first hand unbiased feel on what your cruise could be like: the diving, facilities, atmosphere etc Have a look at our reports here: Trip ReportsSee here for a sample report: The Seven Seas trip report If you are interested in a Liveaboard Charter or a Group Booking but don’t have time to trawl through a thousand websites to compare what deals are on offer then let us do the work for you. Our Groups and Clubs section will feature up-to-date details of the best deals around so you can book your dream group trip and make savings to spend elsewhere! Check out our group deals here: Groups and ClubsClearly this is the early stage of a long term project. We will add more and more liveaboards to our website as time goes by. Unlike other agents we are careful to gather all the information necessary on any operators we are recommending to you so the process takes time. We also strive to experience our recommended operators first hand which means we will be sending our representatives to check out the boats as much as possible. Therefore our trips reports section will also be added to in the future and you can be sure that you are booking with those who know the products they sell. If you have any enquiries regarding worldwide liveaboards please contact our Liveaboards Reservation Staff: Liveaboards@Dive-The-World.com, call our PADI 5 Star Dive Centre in Phuket - 083 505 7794, or chat with us on Skype. So tell all your friends! www.DiveTheWorldLiveaboards.com is casting off from the jetty on its maiden voyage so hop on board and let us find you your dream diving cruise.
Diving Worldwide - Specials & Last Minute Deals
If you are looking for a last minute deals, special offers or information on special trips, this is the place to look. Useful Worldwide Diving Links
Mermaid I visits the Andaman islands in 2008 and 2009
Wish you could dive somewhere new and exciting? Want to get waay from all the other divers? Then you are in luck..... The MV Mermaid I, one of the finest liveaboards operating in Thailand and Burma has just released news that is is running 'Once In A Lifetime' trips to the remote and pristine Andaman islands.   The Andaman islands are practically the last frontier in diving. You can experience the pioneer feeling as the boat glides through remote crystal waters without another soul in sight. Enjoy the 'fish soup' that are the Andaman island dive sites as well as incredible volcanic sites, underwater hot springs, walls and even exploratory dives - you could discover and amazing dive site for the first time! Be the envy of your friends and go where very few have gone before...on an Andaman islands liveaboard! 25 Feb-07 March 2009 and 10-20 March 2009 - TWO trips only11 Days / 10 Nights Up to 36 dives Master/Single Cabin - € 3,110 (US$ 4,570) per person Deluxe Cabin - € 2,825 (US$ 4,150) per person Budget Cabin - € 2,475 (US$ 3,640) per person Notes: - Flights are via Calcutta or Madras using Indian domestic carriers (although the Bangkok-Port Blair route is expected to re-open)
- For the 2008 cruise, divers must be competent experienced Advanced Open Water divers or above.
- In 2009 all levels of divers are welcome.
- Full charters are available for the 2009 trips: US$ 59,050
Cruise price includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, fresh coffee, soft drinks, hot chocolate, tea and water, dives, tanks, weights and weightbelts, torches, experienced English-speaking divemaster(s), and return transfers to the boat from Port Blair hotels. Cruise price excludes: Port and Park fees (to be advised) are payable upon embarkation, scuba equipment (US$ 20 per day), nitrox, dive insurance, alcoholic drinks. For more information on the boat: MV Mermaid ITo enquire about the trip or for more information just ask us: Blog@Dive-The-World.com, call our PADI 5 Star Dive Centre in Phuket - 083 505 7794, or chat with us on Skype.
Improvements at Nomads Resort, Lembeh
Nomads resort is one of the newest resorts in the Lembeh Strait and has been sending guests away more than happy with their low key, friendly approach to diving. There have been some recent improvements at the resort which remains very comfortable and homely if not particularly fancy.  - There is a new Minahasa Bungalow great for romantic couples featuring hot water, aircon, bamboo furniture, mosquito net, Balinese open-roof style bathroom and a veranda overlooking the bay
- There is a new 9m fibreglass boat and the boats all carry first aid kit, oxygen and mobile phones
- The standard rooms all have hot water and a ceiling fan to complement the breezes coming down the Strait
 For more information on the resort and all prices see here: Nomads Adventure ResortRead about Lembeh's amazinf diving opportunities: Lembeh Dive Sites
Spinner Dolphins beached in Phuket
PHUKET: Two gravely ill dolphins are being treated at the Phuket Marine Biological Center (PMBC) after washing ashore in separate incidents – the first at Karon Beach yesterday and the second in Phang Nga’s Tai Muang District this morning.  PMBC biologist Kongkiat Kittiwattawong told the Gazette that the first, a 40-kilogram female spinner dolphin (S. longirostris), washed ashore at Karon Beach about 7 am yesterday. The spinner, 1.6 meters long and about five years old, was too weak to swim back out into the heavy surf and showed symptoms of a severe lung infection, but otherwise appeared healthy. Officers at the Kata Fire Station had tried unsuccessfully to push the animal back out to sea through the heavy surf at Karon Beach, and then took the animal by pickup truck to a section of Kata Beach with smaller waves, but the dolphin was too weak too swim away. The second dolphin, a 50-kilogram female striped dolphin (S. coeruleoalba), was taken to the PMBC this morning. It also showed signs of respiratory infection but was also covered in lesions. The dolphins are being treated in separate tanks. K. Kongkiat rated the chances of recovery for both animals as very slim. Blood samples have been taken, but it is still too early to determine whether the two animals were suffering from the same type of infection, though he said that was unlikely given that they were of different species. When weak from illness, dolphins tend to seek out calm water and this sometimes leads to them being beached, he said.
Article appears courtesy of The Phuket Gazette: Sunday, July 1, 2007.More Information on Phuket's marine environments: The Dive Sites of PhuketFor more on what to do in Phuket see here: Phuket Tourist Information
Phuket to have biggest aquarium in Southeast Asia
BANGKOK (The Nation): Ripley Entertainment, operator of Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, plans to build and open a 2.1-billion-baht aquarium in Phuket within three years. The firm will enter into a joint venture with Thailand-based conglomerate Minor International Plc, the franchisee of the Ripley museum in Pattaya.  The aquarium project will be Ripley’s second property in Thailand and its first aquarium outside the US. The aquarium is planned to cover 10,000 to 12,000 square meters and would be bigger than Underwater World in Singapore, which claims to be the biggest aquarium in Southeast Asia. Ripley Entertainment President Robert Masterson said the group intended to hold a major stake in the new project.  Phuket’s tourism had recovered from the great damage inflicted by the 2004 tsunami, he said. Mr Masterson declined to reveal the location and amenities of the project, saying it was too early to go into details. He did not think political uncertainty would affect investor confidence and believed the Kingdom was drawing more international tourists than ever before. “The tourist market will be a major target,” he said. More Information on Phuket's Marine environment here: Phuket Dive SitesFor more on what to do in Phuket see here: Phuket Tourist Information
Red and Pink Corals Get U.N. Trade Protection
THE HAGUE - Trade in red and pink corals prized as jewellery for 5,000 years will be restricted to try to help the species recover after drastic over-exploitation, a U.N. wildlife conference agreed on Wednesday. Countries at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted 62 to 28 to start regulating export of corals, now harvested mainly in the Mediterranean and Western Pacific in a business worth millions of dollars. "Regulation of trade is necessary to ensure they do not become threatened with extinction," said Andrew Bruckner, a U.S. official who authored the proposal at the June 3-15 talks. He said that current harvesting was depleting stocks.  Necklaces made of the red and pink corals, collectively known as Corallium, can cost up to $20,000. Many other species of coral are already protected by CITES. "Corallium, the most valuable of the precious corals, has been fished for over 5,000 years," the U.S. proposal said, adding that millions of items and thousands of kilos (pounds) a year were traded internationally. The decision, imposing restrictions on international trade, will take effect in 18 months' time partly because of worries by southern European producers that they would need time to adapt to new trade rules. Over-harvesting and other threats including pollution, trawling of the seabed by fishing vessels and global warming are among threats to the corals, found from the tropics to temperate waters. Conservationists hailed the decision. "This is the best possible decision to start getting the trade in these corals under some form of international control," said Ernie Cooper, a coral trade expert from TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring network. Seaweb, a conservation group, also applauded the decision and said that raw red coral sold for $100 to $900 per kg at auction. It said the Italian town of Torre del Greco, a centre of the trade, made coral profits of $174 million in 1999 alone. CITES is one part of a global drive to help protect species, and is increasingly looking at commercial types such as corals, fish and timber alongside efforts to safeguard iconic animals such as tigers and elephants. Source: June 14, 2007 — Alister Doyle, Reuters For more on the underwater splendour of Komodo see here: Red Beach, Komodo National ParkOther Komodo dive sites
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